Jacob g



(No Model.)

J. GQMYTLLER. Ice House.

No. 235,555. Patented Dec. 14,1880.

5 r (L "M m? a @mfldy,

NITED STATES ATE T FMGE.

ICE-HOUSE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,555, dated December 14, 1880.

Application filed August 11, 1880.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, JACOB G. Mi'ILLER, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have made certain Improvements in Ice- Houses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to improvements in the drips or shed-pieces that cover the tops of the joist under the ice-floor; and the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a combined drip and trough made in one piece of peculiar form, which sets between the under side of the metal ice-floor and the top of the joiststhe drip made by bending down one side of the metal to a slant on one side of the joist, and on the other side gradually curving that part, so as to form a drip and trough in one, the straight slant of the opposite drip shedding into this trough, which also sheds the drippings or condens-ations on its surface or side. Each piece runs the whole length of the joist, combining a straight drip on one side and a drip and curved trough on the other side.

One important object of this invention is to reduce as much as possible the condensation through the floor of the ice-room. Therefore the floor, which is made of metal, does not receive the ice, but has only ice-water thereon, the ice being set on a raised grating or platform above. Under this metal floor, in addition, I set my metal shed-pieces, which receive the. condensations of the floor, which must become warm in condensing through the floor, and is no longer ice-water, but warm to a certain extent when it drips onto the shedpieces, and cannot condense through these, but rolls into the curved part of each and runs into a single trough set under the ends of all the shed-pieces, they setting at a slight slant, so as to empty therein.

Another object of this invention is to do away with all hanging troughs under metal floors or ceilings, as such are hard to clean out and are constantly clogging and breaking down. I also desire to do away with the old tight troughs and drips, as the air cannot get to them, and they also clog and become ofiensive. Mine have air-spaces between them and cannot clog or break down.

Inthe drawing, the figure represents a ver- (No model.)

tical sectional elevation of an icehouse, in which A A are the outer walls, B the filling, O the ice-room, D the cooling-room, and E the cooling-cellar.

The tops of the ice-room walls in the attic G are within about two inches of the walls A B, and gradually slant down and inward to a width from the wall of about one foot.- At the top a valve or long shutter, b, closes the space or opening into the attic G, and which are opened occasionally. The narrow openings (0 a and valves 1) I) prevent the downward flow of warm air from the attiis.

The ice-room G is entirely closed, and no warm air can get into it, and is entirely away from the main walls.

The ice sets on a gratingor raisedfloor, 0,

so that only ice-water stands on the metal.

. There are side openings or slides e 6 about three inches above the fioor d, to be occasionally opened to let down cold air into the lower room or rooms, if desired.

The ice-water, when it comes to the level of the opening of the waste-pipef, flows down through the same into a trough, g, in the lower story or cellar, E, whereaseries of these troughs run around the whole cellar, and the ice-water therein keeps the cellar at a very low temperature; also, the floor above.

h h hare the usual joists that support the metal ice-floor (1. Between these and the floor I set a piece of metal, bent so as to form a com bined dripping-trough, I, thatgoes the whole length over the joist 72. One side of the joist is cut or beveled off about a half-inch, and the other side about an inch. Over the half-inch side the metal piece L is slanted and flat, as

shown at i i, and on the other side it is bent 174', which are set at a slight slant, so as to empty themselves. This trough H is connected, by a small pipe, k, to the waste-pipef, into which it discharges.

The construction of my floors 0 d and drips I prevent but very little water getting into the troughs t, t", and H, and the room D is therefore kept dry and sweet all the time. There is no direct water from the floor 01 into the troughs, as in other ice-houses, and all of which catch ice-water.

The roof of the building has the usual ventilator at the top, and there are several windows also to make a draft through when required, and by opening the valves b b a draft up through the openings at a also sucking up the warm air when required.

The valves b b are shut to keep any warm air from going down.

The disadvantage of metal floors and ceilings that shed directly into troughs is, that the room beneath cannot be kept dry.

I am acquainted with several ice-houses that have a metal floor, some made in irregular or V shapes; but they have to use hanging or attached troughs also, and the ice merely sets on a grating on the floor. The ice-water is therefore constantly condensing through the entire floor and through the drips unless cased in wood. I avoid all this and the trouble of cleaning outthe troughs, as but little water gets in mine, and they cannot clog, as before stated, nor can the water Which is ii them condense through, as it is no longer ice-cold water, but

about the same temperature as the iron, as in sweating through it becomes warm.

I claim- 1. In combination with the under side of a floor, d, of an ice-house, having an elevated icefloor, c, therein, and thejoist h h beneath the floor d, the interposed metal combined drip and trough I, each one constructed of a single piece of metal, one side, i, bent at a straight slant, and the other curved over into a trough, t", and setting beneath the straight part t" of the opposite drips I, allemptyingintoatrough, H, substantially as specified.

2. In combination with the ice-room O, the drips I I,vtrough H, Waste-pipes f and 7c, and troughs g g in room E, all arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose-hereinbefore specified.

3. In an ice-house, in combination With the walls A, filling B, and walls of the iceroom O, the valves 1) I) over the narrow openings at a of the space between the walls, and the side openings or slides, e e, in the walls of the iceroom 0, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACOB .G. MULLER.

Witnesses:

J. R. DRAKE, GEO. A. BURNETT. 

